Archbishop of Canterbury visits the Lily Montagu Reading Room

On Thursday 14th May 2026, the Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Sarah Mullally, visited The Sternberg Centre, and as part of her visit, we were honoured by her giving a speech at the Lily Montagu Reading Room.

Reflecting on this extraordinary visit, Rabbi Professor Deborah Kahn-Harris says: “For more than 50 years, Leo Baeck College has been a pioneering partner in the work of interfaith dialogue. Indeed, today we were hosting the organising team of the Jewish-Christian Bible Week conference we co-sponsor every year.

In that context, we were especially honoured to welcome The Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to the Lily Montagu Reading Room. During her visit today to the Sternberg Centre, organised under the auspices of the Movement for Progressive Judaism, the Archbishop spoke compellingly to us about her commitment to solidarity with the Jewish community – a powerful reminder to us of the verse from our shared biblical tradition:

הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֭וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃

How good and pleasant it is when kindred dwell together

[Psalm 133:1].”

Watch the video from the Archbishop’s visit below. To read the Lambeth Palace’s article, visit Archbishop of Canterbury’s website.